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Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment Monthly Newsletter
2011 SORCE Meeting –
August 2011
Important Deadline:
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Lodging and Pre-Registration
Decadal Cycles in the Sun, Sun-like
Stars, and Earth’s Climate System
Sept. 13-16, 2011 ♦ Sedona, Arizona
AGENDA / SCIENCE PROGRAM
For a detailed agenda with speakers, abstracts, and
specific times, please visit the meeting website for the latest
information. The program includes:
Monday, Sept. 12: Welcoming Reception, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 13:
Welcome and Introduction
Session 1. Solar Irradiance Cycles
Wednesday, Sept. 14:
Session 2. Climate System Decadal Variability
Session 3. Comparative Sun-Star Cycles
Poster Session / Reception
Thursday, Sept. 15:
Session 4. Climate Sensitivity and Global Imbalance
Session 5. Solar Rotational Variability
Science Dinner / Fieldtrip – Lowell Observatory
Friday, Sept. 16:
Session 6. Modeling and Forecasting Solar Cycles and
Climate Impacts
The Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa, a full-service meeting facility.
LODGING
The meeting will be held at the Sedona Hilton Resort
and Spa (http://www.hiltonsedonaresort.com/). Hotel
information is on the SORCE website, including a link to
register online. Or call 1-877-273-3762 today. Refer to
the SORCE Meeting code "SORCE" to receive the
special $142 rate. About 70% of their rooms are suites so
reserve yours early. Note: The cut-off date is firm –
Friday, August 12.
2011 SORCE Meeting Website
http://lasp.colorado.edu/sorce/news/2011ScienceMeeting/
REGISTRATION
Information on meeting registration and special events
is on the website. The pre-registration fee is $375. After
Friday, August 12, the rate will go to $425. While you are
registering, be sure to sign-up for the SORCE Science
Dinner at the Lowell Observatory. It is going to be a very
special evening and we hope you will join us! Register
today at:
Sedona, Arizona – “Red Rock Country”
GETTING THERE – TRANSPORTATION
The 2011 SORCE Meeting will take place at the
beautiful Hilton Sedona Resort, just 115 miles north of
Phoenix, Arizona. For maps and transportation information
please visit the SORCE Meeting website.
xhttp://lasp.colorado.edu/sorce/news/2011ScienceMeeting/meeting-registration.htmlx
2011 SORCE Meeting Website
Agenda / abstracts available online!
http://lasp.colorado.edu/sorce/news/2011ScienceMeeting/
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data record of solar irradiance. Although the SORCE team
has taken exceptionally proactive steps to maximize the
life of the mission by mitigating reaction wheel and battery
issues, these subsystems are well past their design life and
thus a risk situation. The preliminary report suggests that
the SORCE team could get an augmented budget to help
manage its aging spacecraft.
The report also reviewed all missions on their
qualitative utility in regards to national interests. SORCE
received a high utility rating, since the data are useful for
improving our understanding of how solar irradiance
contributes to changes in the atmosphere and climate
forcings. The review panel felt that SORCE has been
invaluable to obtaining and sustaining an historical record
of solar measurements across different solar cycles.
Detailed letters from NASA Headquarters are expected
out in mid August and they will provide the actual budget
plans for the extended mission.
SORCE-Related AGU Sessions –
The Fall AGU Meeting is Dec. 5-9, in San Francisco,
California. You are encouraged to submit abstracts
to AGU sessions GC43 and GC44.
Abstract Deadline: Thursday, August 4th
http://sites.agu.org/fallmeeting/
Solar Spectral Irradiance Variability:
Observations and Implications
Session GC44: Climate Change and the Sun 3.
Conveners: Marty Snow, Erik Richard, Frank Eparvier,
and Rodney Viereck
SORCE Presentations at IUGG –
Improvements to the Total Solar Irradiance Record
Session GC43: Climate Change and the Sun 2.
Conveners: Greg Kopp and Richard Wilson
3,122,036
Hits to the SORCE Website
(Since 4/21/03, As of 7/29/11)
SORCE team members Tom Woods and Jerry Harder
from LASP, and Robert Cahalan from NASA GSFC
attended the 2011 International Union of Geodesy and
Geophysics (IUGG) General Assembly in Melbourne,
Australia, June 28 – July 7. This year’s topic was Earth on
the Edge: Science for a Sustainable Planet, and sessions
addressed a wide range of subjects. Approximately 3,500
scientists from over 91 countries attended this multidisciplinary conference which focused on the ramifications
of recent international weather/climate issues (earthquakes,
weather patterns, cyclones, tsunamis, bush fires, and
floods).
In the session entitled, The Impact of Solar Variability
on the Earth, was co-chaired by Tom Woods. Within the
session Jerry Harder gave an invited talk called Measured
and Modeled Trends in Solar Spectral Irradiance
Variability and Application to Earth Atmospheric Studies.
Tom Woods presented Solar Irradiance Variations during
Solar Cycle 23/24 Minimum, and Bob Cahalan presented
Temperature Responses to Spectral Solar Forcing Since
1600 from a Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Radiative
Convective Model.
NASA Releases Earth Science
Senior Review Report –
The NASA Earth Science Senior Review report was
released in July. You can find the full report online at:
http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2011/07/22/20
11-NASA-ESSR-v3-CY-CleanCopy_3x.pdf. The SORCE
Senior Review proposal was submitted in March. The
good news is all of the Earth Science missions are
expected to be extended for another four years.
The reviewers unanimously agreed that the scientific
merit of SORCE is outstanding and they fully supported
the extension of the mission. The review panel also
concluded that all four instruments will likely continue to
operate nominally for two- and four-year extensions.
The SORCE mission received a medium-high
technical risk rating due to battery health and the impact
that it will have on maintaining the extended climate
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SORCE Database Recovery –
Upcoming Meetings / Talks –
By Chris Pankratz, LASP, Univ. of Colorado
SORCE scientists plan to present papers or attend the
following 2011 meetings:
The SORCE project
suffered a storage system
failure on June 10th, which
resulted in downtime to
systems that support flight
operations and also the
SORCE Science Data
System. Flight operations
capabilities were restored
within hours allowing
operators
to
perform
necessary health and
safety monitoring. There was minimal disruption to
mission operations activities and no risk to the spacecraft
or instrument health.
Full restoration of the entire history of SORCE
telemetry data and support for science data processing
activities has unfortunately taken additional time.
Generation of SORCE science data products was been
temporarily suspended, but public access to alreadyprocessed SORCE science data was unaffected and these
data continued to be available to the public.
After a discussion on the best approach to the database
failure, it was determined that purchasing a new disk
array with a higher-level of reliability was the best
option. The process of procuring, configuring, and
recovering to this new array took longer than expected.
Using alternative systems (prior to receiving the new
disk array), the routine product generation of SORCE
TIM Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) data was resumed on
June 24th, and the space weather Magnesium II index
data product became available June 30th. Please note that
there was no loss of science data from any of the
instruments onboard SORCE.
By July 25th, the new disk array has been received and
configured, and restoration of SORCE databases was
completed. All systems are now restored into full
operation and science data products have been caught-up
to present (re-populated the full telemetry data in the
databases). Catch-up processing of science data products
is complete.
SPIE, August 21-25, San Diego, CA
CALCON, August 29-Sept. 1, Logan, Utah
SORCE Science Meeting, Sept. 13-16, Sedona, Arizona
NEWRAD, Sept. 19-23, Maui, Hawaii
AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 5-9, San Francisco, California
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